Sunshine Matters

This afternoon, the Florida Legislature passed the state budget which included $76 million in funding for VISIT FLORIDA in FY 2016-2017.  I would like to thank Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature for their extraordinary support of the state’s tourism industry and VISIT FLORIDA.  We are very fortunate to have elected leaders that recognize the importance of tourism, our industry’s role in strengthening the state’s economy and creating jobs for Floridians.

I would also like to thank all of our partners for your collective leadership, support and advocacy.  This increased funding is a strong endorsement of the industry-driven nature of our public-private partnership and our success in generating a more than 3 to 1 return on the state’s investment in VISIT FLORIDA’s cooperative marketing programs.

Our industry is well-positioned to build on five consecutive years of record visitation. We have a newly implemented 2020 Strategic Plan, the continued support of the Governor, Legislature and our actively engaged industry leadership, and the world’s best tourism product.  Given this momentum, I have no doubt that we will establish Florida as the No. 1 travel destination in the world and achieve our objective of $100 billion in travel and tourism spending by 2020.